Search This Blog

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Carried Away by Carriages

In this era of the auto, we look
back on carriages as romantic—but in the English Regency, the carriage was
practical, sporting, and a sign of status. It was also an era in which technical
improvements resulted in faster, lighter and more comfortable carriages.

In 1804, Obadiah Elliott of Lambeth
invented the elliptic spring, lightening the weight and eliminating the need
for perches. Samuel Hobson improved carriage shapes by lowering the wheels in
1820. At the same time, the engineer Jon Loudon McAdam introduced his process
to pave roads to create a hard, smooth surface and double the speed at which
carriages could travel.

Perhaps the most popular of
carriages for those who could afford fashionable vehicles were the phaetons, the
sporting curricles, and the landau and barouche.

Phaetons first appeared around 1788
and the Prince of Wales—then a dashing young man—popularized their use in the
1790's. They were noted for being built very high over the body, with four
wheels (large wheels in back and smaller wheels in the front). They sported two
types of under-carriage. A perch phaeton had a straight or slightly curved
central beam that connected the two axles. The 'superior' crane-neck phaeton
offered a heavier construction of iron with two beams and hoops which allowed
the front wheels to turn.

Ladies as well as gentlemen drove
spider, park and ladies phaetons that were often drawn by ponies. Lady Archer,
Lady Stormont, Mrs. Garden and even the Princess of Wales were noted whips.
Among the gentlemen, Sir John Lade, Lord Rodney, Charles Finch and Lord Onslow
set the pace.

The curricle, a two-wheel and more
sporting vehicle, came into fashion in the 1800's. The sponsorship of the
Prince of Wales—who was becoming too fat to climb into his high perch phaeton—promoted
the curricle’s popularity. Horses were attached to the light-weight body by
harness connected pole, with a steel bar that attached to pads on the horse's
back to support the pole. The curricle offered seats for two, with a groom's
seat behind.

By the 1800's, the sociable had
evolved into a carriage named the sociable-landau or simply the landau. This
carriage was drawn by a pair of horses, and driven with post boys (riders on
the horses) or by a coachman if a box seat had been built onto the body. Hoods
could be raised, front and back, so that the landau resembled a coach, or the
hood could be lowered in fine weather. Luke Hopkinson of Holborn introduced the
Briska-landau, which offered seats that rose six inches then the top was put
down. Canoe-landaus offered curved, shallow bodies and were sometimes called
Sefton-landaus, after the Earl of Sefton.

The barouche did not gain in
popularity until its heavy body and low build had been modified. When Mr.
Charles Buxton founded the Whip Club in 1808 (which became the Four-In-Hand
Club the following spring), its members drove "...fifteen barouches and
landaus with four horses to each...." to the first June meeting on a
Monday in Park Lane. Because its members often drove barouches, the Whip Club
sometimes came to be called the Barouche Club.

The barouche required large,
'upstanding' horses, with impressive action. It could be driven from the box or
with postillion riders, and could accommodate a pair, four or six horses. Two
passengers could be seated in the body, and a seat provided comfort for two
grooms.

Many noted whips designed their own
carriages, which is how we come by the Stanhope Gig, made popular after 1815 to
the design of the Hon. Fitzroy Stanhope. Carriages also bore the name of their
builders. The Tilbury Gig of 1820 was designed and made by Tilbury the
coach-builder. Unlike other gigs it had no boot, and the rib-chair body was
supported entirely on seven springs, making it a popular vehicle for use on
rough roads.

Other carriages in use during the
Regency included a drag, which was the slang term for a gentleman's private
coach. These were built for four-in-hand teams and copied the mail coach with seats
inside the coach and on the roof. Gentlemen drove their drags to race meetings so
the carriage could act as a grandstand. A convenient tray in the boot could
even be lowered to create a table for picnics.

By 1815, the heavy traveling coach of
the previous century had been replaced by the traveling chariot, a light-body
vehicle usually driven by postillions or post boys who rode two of the horses
harnessed to the carriage. These vehicles served as the post-chaise carriages that
could be hired at various posting houses. At a cost of one shilling and six
pence per mile for a pair of horses—and double that for four horses—a post-chaise
was not an economical method of travel. They earned the slang name 'Yellow
Bounder' for the almost inevitable yellow bodies.

After 1830, the increasing
popularity of the railroad meant the end of the carriage for long-distance
travel. But until the advent of the automobile, carriages continued to flourish
in type and design. But beauty in shape and color for carriages and horses are
still symbols of wealth and leisure.

5 comments:

Shannon, practically everything I know about horses I've learned from you and a couple of other Beau Monde people. Thank you enormously for past and present--I'm tucking this one away with the hopes I'll be able to find it next time I need it.

Hi Shannon, I was reading this post and was very surprised to see the last drawing in your post. I have a print of this drawing and I've always wondered who the artist was, I can't read the signature. It's the last one on your post that shows 1 white horse, 1 greyish horse and 2 dark horses. There is also a man riding one of the horses holding his horse whip high in the air. Are you able to tell me who the artist is for this drawing? I guess if you post here I'll see it or you can email me at dhaley@trendgraphix.com. It would be great to know who the artist is if possible. Thanks, Dennis

Welcome to Historical Hussies

Welcome to our blog for readers and writers--or anyone, really, who loves history! Donna Hatch, Shannon Donnelly, Cheryl Bolen, Beppie Harrison, Jenna Jaxon, and Katherine Bone are historical romance authors. Very well, we confess; we're historical nerds! We are fascinated with ancient wedding traditions, Irish food, Roman Warfare, Regency Clothing, Scottish swords--you get the idea. Watch our blog for informative tidbits that just might figure in your next manuscript or deepen your appreciation for the next book you read, or even give you some useless trivia to spout at a party when you can't think of a thing to say.We welcome comments and followers, so chime in and enjoy the group!